To the DPOR:

This is to express strong support for continuation of DPOR’s Professional Wetland Delineator Certification program.  

Proficiency in the practice of wetland delineation is not easily obtained.  It requires extended multidisciplinary study in specialized areas of botany, soil science, and wetland hydrology.  This proficiency requires a background in an appropriate science, multiple extended specialized training courses, and many field events over multiple seasons within a specific geographic region to gain necessary experience for this practice.  The PWD program provides a clearly focussed method to document proficiency in wetland delineation.

Like many specialized professions, other avenues exist to show proficiency in wetland science.  However, these  alternatives are either much broader or much more specialized, and are not designed specifically for wetland delineation, which is a narrow specialty within wetland science.  Further, these alternate programs are not specific to Virginia, which has its own range of plant species, soil types, and hydrology indicators. The PWD program is specific to the service of wetland delineation in Virginia and is protective for users of this service.

Users of wetland delineations need the protection offered by the PWD program.  Users may irreversibly commit to multi-million dollar investments based on the results of delineations, knowing that wetland areas are generally not used for development on tracts of land.  Nonproficient delineations cause bankruptcies for developers and landowners, extreme losses for banks, and a spreading of economic consequences for contractors and others involved in the property, even when they are far separated from or totally unaware of the delineation process.  The PWD program helps users identify proficient wetland delineators, and is protective of Virginia businesses.

The PWD program is highly focussed and needed by Virginians.  Please continue this important DPOR certification.

Thank you for considering these comments.

Sincerely,

Thomas L. Stokes, Jr.